[XtinaRobinson]

Hi All,

I have just taken over an Allotment plot which has been left to ruin - I am very much a novice so could do with some pointers.

On the plot there are three rows of raspberries which haven't been cut for what looks to be several seasons. They are very overgrown and have spread a lot to the point where they are growing more in strips than rows.

We've been told they are summer raspberries, I understand that usually you would prune them to about 9 inches when they finish fruiting (got that from the RHS site) and that if we were planting them now we would do the same. So my question is to prune or not to prune now?

Thanks in advance.

[JayG]

Hi!

The RHS advice is basically correct (of course!  ) but with very neglected plants it would be a good idea to cut down any weak or dead canes, and also any which show signs of having fruited last year (shrivelled remains of berries is the only likely clue.)

Weed, feed with a general fertiliser, and mulch if you have anything suitable.

[sunshineband]

Just to add to Jay's advice ---

--- you could take out any canes that are not in the right place too, if you intend to return to the rows that were originally planted.
 

Any nice fat green canes will fruit this summer, so leave those in if you would like a crop this year. These ones get cut out after they have fruited in the Summer and new ones start to grow to fruit the following year.

It might look a bit bare when you have finished but the plants will thank you in years to come.

And a great sense of achivement when they are all neat and tidy and ready to go, too 

[XtinaRobinson]

It does look very bare where I've started!

So just to clarify... I'm ok to prune all canes to 9inches and get rid of they old stuff?

[JayG]

So just to clarify... I'm ok to prune all canes to 9inches and get rid of they old stuff?

Er, you can if you like but if you remove all the canes of summer fruiting raspberries now you will get no fruit this summer!

[sunshineband]

If you cut everything down you will have no fruit this summer (assuming they are summer fruiting as you were told)

The RHS advice is mainly to do with newly planted stock, when you would want roots to establish well in the first year and sacrifice fruit therefore.

If the plants are well established, you can leave in the fat ones as suggested and crop this year.

All the dead ones and ones in the wrong place can come out

Hope that helps a bit  


PS JayG got there first